This real-life crime is the core of "Untitled Armored Car Project," which stars Zach Galifianakis, Owen Wilson and Kristen Wiig. Filming in the Asheville area starting in early July, and is expected to finish in August.

At the time, it was the largest cash heist in the history of the United States. And although this serious crime led to serious time for the criminals, details of the Loomis Fargo vault robbery are, well, a bit silly.

Investigators took notice of some of the defendants because of their extravagant spending, which included trading a trailer for a mansion (with cheetah carpeting on the stairs, a velvet Elvis on the wall and a custom BMW in the garage), according to Charlotte TV station WCNC.

Other accomplices who helped hide the huge haul used the money for cosmetic surgeries, including breast augmentation, says WCNC.

Even the crime itself had its fair share of bumbling, including leaving behind millions of dollars. And being caught on camera.

Galifianakis will play the armored car driver, David, who evades authorities, will be searching for his co-conspirators who betrayed him, Kelly (Kristen Wiig) and Steve (Owen Wilson). Kate McKinnon (of "Saturday Night Live") was cast to play David's fiancee and Mary Elizabeth Ellis will play Michelle, Steve's wife.

Ken Marino will play Doug, Steve's wealthy new neighbor.

It's also been reported that Jason Sudeikis (a "Saturday Night Live" alumnus who recently starred in "We're the Millers") will join the cast as a hit man pursuing David.

It didn't take long for the real-life Ghantt's crime to be noticed by bank officials.

Suspicion first arose when Loomis Fargo employee David Ghantt left the Charlotte bank for the day, and he didn't secure the company vault or activate the alarm, according to the Charlotte FBI.

A total of $17.4 million was soon reported missing, and video surveillance showed Ghantt loading money into an armored truck.

He later abandoned the truck, and when authorities located the vehicle he abandoned, $3 million had been left behind, "as it was too much to carry," according to the Charlotte division FBI website.

Agents then launched the case; they dubbed it CHARLOOT.

Ghantt then fled to Mexico, while his co-conspirators stayed in Gaston County.

Chambers promised to hold the cash and wire it intermittently to Ghantt "until the heat was off," but the investigation revealed that he never intended to do so, says the Charlotte FBI.

Instead, he was plotting to kill Ghantt – and burning through a great deal of cash. The Chambers traded in their trailer for a $635,000 mansion in Cramer Mountain – bought with mostly $20 bills -- and Michele sported a $43,000 ring.

They also attempted to deposit large sums of cash. Michele took a briefcase full of bills up to a teller at an area bank and asked, "how much can I deposit before I have to fill out government forms?," according to WCNC.

This activity was reported from the banks and by anonymous tipsters, prompting the FBI tapped the Chambers phone. That's when they learned Steven Chambers planned to have an assassin kill Ghantt.

Charlotte agents, well as Mexican authorities, tracked down and arrested Ghantt, who confessed on the plane ride back to the states.

More than $13 million in cash and $1 million in assets were also recovered.

Twenty-one defendants eventually were sentenced in the robbery, including all the key figures -- Ghantt and Michele Chambers, Kelly Campbell, Eric Payne and Scott Grant.

Steven Chambers, considered the ringleader, received a prison sentence of up to 11 years. Ghantt received 7 years.

The others were sentenced to an average of seven years.

"Untitled Armored Car Project" isn't the first media portrayal inspired by the heist. It was also the subject of the 2002 book, "Heist!: The $17 Million Loomis Fargo Theft" by Jeff Diamant.

Diamant worked as Charlotte Observer newspaper reporter during the crime.